Letters, Extracts, Notices, ^c. 353 
little collecting during the past two years, no shooting 
having been permitted. But quite recently he has obtained 
leave to carry his gun along the river in the immediate 
vicinity of Potchefstroom_, and has obtained a small number 
of specimens for the South African Museum. Mr. Ayres 
remarks that he does not quite believe in the so-called Russ's 
Weaver-bird (Quelea russi) being distinct from Q. sanguini- 
rostris. In the Potchefstroom district the Quelea nests 
freely amongst the reeds, in company with Fyromelcena oryx 
and Hyphantornis velatus, and lays blue eggs, which are 
similar to those of the Pyromelcena and very difficult to 
identify. Mr. Ayres believes that Quelea is parasitic, and 
" often, if not always,^^ lays its eggs in the nests of the 
Red Bishop-bird {Pyromelcena). 
The British Dipper. — Amongst recent "^Promotions"''' we 
have to record that of the '^ British Dipper,^^ which has been 
elevated to the rank of a subspecies by Eitter v. Tschusi zu 
Schmidhoffen, as Cinclus cinclus britannicus [cf. Ornith. 
Jahrb. xiii. p. 69, 1892). The author of this feat states that 
the British form of Cinclus has nothing to do with the Mid- 
European C. aquaticus, but is more nearly allied to the 
Scandinavian C. cinclus (i. e. C. melanogaster, Br.). With 
the kind assistance of our foreign friends we are really 
beginning to know something about our native birds ! 
British Ornithologists abroad. — Captain Boyd Alexander 
has returned to his duties in West Africa and has arrived 
safely at Cape Coast Castle. Before leaving England, as will 
be seen by our columns, he wrote for us an excellent account 
of the birds which he had observed and collected in the Gold 
Coast Colony during his service withthe Ashanti Expedition, 
and he will no doubt be equally active on the present occasion. 
Mr. Henry F. Witherby left England on February 20th, 
on a new ornithological expedition. This time he proposes 
to go to Western Persia, and to work the country between 
Bushire and Shiraz. He hopes to be able to penetrate 
into the mountainous district north-west of the latter town. 
SER. VIII. — VOL. II. 2 a 
